This Trader Joe's Item Is A Match For The Real Belgian Version

I'm a longtime Trader Joe's shopper, a food lover, and a travel fan. And I can't believe I found a dupe at TJ's for one of my fondest food memories of my travels: the company's Brioche Style Liège Waffles. But let me set the scene a bit: I've visited 22 countries, eating my way through them all. I specifically have delightful memories of eating €1 waffles in Brussels, Belgium. 

I ate them so many times during my brief trip to the city because they were incredible, affordable, and widely available. This was well over a decade ago, and to be honest, I didn't know the exact name of the waffle at the time, but it always stuck with me. As it turns out, I consumed Liège waffles, which are (literally) a type of waffle from Belgium, but they are not to be confused with Belgian waffles. Liège waffles are smaller and denser than Belgian waffles. 

They also have an irregular shape around the border that makes them stand out visually, but the flavor is the best part. The pearl sugar in the dough gives it a crunchy, sweet, and caramelized effect. The sugar offers both a sweet, complex flavor and textural contrast to make it stand out from your basic waffle. And beloved Trader Joe's has a pretty solid match that you can find in the bakery aisle for $3.99 for six waffles — which is actually a better deal than the €1 ones from my travels.

My family typically gets the frozen whole wheat waffles from TJ's because the price is unbeatable, and my toddler likes to eat them for breakfast (with peanut butter, chia seeds, jam, etc.) — but it's kind of meh on its own. Then on one shopping trip, I saw the alluring blue packaging of the Brioche Style Liège Waffles in the bakery aisle near other Trader Joe's baked goods, like the variety of mini sheet cakes and muffins. 

The image of the waffle made my heart race. Could it be? I enjoy trying new-to-me items (the waffles have been around for a couple of years, I'm just late to the party) that the company brings into the store, so I added it to my cart with low expectations — but they are spectacular and just like the ones I remembered from my trip. I'm not the only one who thinks so, either. 

Other TJ's fans say they are scrumptious straight out of the plastic packaging. Although I encourage you to try them heated in the toaster oven for a minute or two, I can agree that you can skip that step if need be. Others even note that it's just like the waffles they had traveling in Europe — hello, that's what I'm trying to tell you, too! If a long-haul flight to Belgium is out of the question, you might want to snag a pack or two of these to keep in the pantry.